Flower and the Beast
by whimsicalMedley
Summary: Prince James Potter hates enchantresses. Sirius Black wants his best friend back. Remus Lupin is tired. Peter Pettigrew wants to be a human again. Lily Evans just wants to read her books in peace. Jily Beauty and the Beast AU.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**me: omg jily beauty and the beast au  
** **my other fics: um...  
** **me: *shoving them into my closet* ANYWAY,**

 **NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT. IT'S JUST THE PROLOGUE THOUGH, THE CHAPTERS WILL GET LONGER.**

* * *

 _James Fleamont Potter had almost everything an eleven year old could want. He had servants, a castle, three warm meals a day, and three best friends. Yes, at first glance, anyone would be envious._

 _The problem was, James Fleamont Potter was an orphan._

 _His parents had died when he was nine. There had been a terrible sickness going around at the time, and the entire family had caught it. James survived. Fleamont Potter, brother to the King of England, and his wife Euphemia, didn't._

 _The only reason James survived the sorrow and guilt of the entire ordeal were Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Sirius was the son of Italian nobility, but had moved in with the Potter's when his family disowned him. Peter's father was the doctor who cared for the Potter's. Remus was a peasant boy who was found next to his dead parents, and Euphemia demanded he be taken in. The three consoled James when he needed it, brought him outside to play to distract him, and made sure that he ate and slept._

 _Because of the death of his parents, James changed. He refused to get close to anyone other than his three best friends, and treated people horribly so they would leave him alone. He was arrogant, show-offish, and mean. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were no better, simply following his lead. The King found him and his friends such a nuisance, that he sent them to a far off castle in the countryside._

 _One night, the eleven year old went to the door to find an old beggar. She pleaded for shelter from the horrid storm that was battering the countryside in exchange for a beautiful rose. James, thoroughly disgusted by her appearance, demanded she leave at once. The old woman warned him to not judge people by their looks. James, thinking that the woman was insane, sent her off again._

 _Suddenly, her awful appearance melted away to a beautiful witch. James begged for forgiveness, but she knew there was no love in his heart. The enchantress cursed the castle, along with everyone who lived there. James watched in horror as he changed into a horrid beast, and his best friends were turned into nothing more than furniture. The witch left James an enchanted mirror to see the world, and the rose she had offered, with a promise. If he could learn to love another, and have her love him in return, the spell would be broken._

 _James, ashamed of what he had become, hid himself in the castle, distancing himself from everyone, even his best friends. As the years past, and his twenty first birthday approached, he fell into despair. He knew in his heart that the spell could never be broken._

 _No one could ever learn to love a monster like him._

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 **Come yell at me on tumblr: heroic-hufflepuff**


	2. Chapter 2: A Funny Girl, That Lily

Lily Evans woke to the sound of birds chirping…and a loud bang.

Now, for anyone else in the town of Cokeworth, that would've been alarming. For Lily, however, it just meant her father was working. Blinking blearily and spitting out the hair that had managed to get into her mouth, the redhead sat up and immediately regretted it.

"Whoa, headrush." She groaned, rubbing her temples. Lily had stayed up late reading her new favorite book, and was now regretting it. It wasn't her fault though! The characters were just so complex, the plot was compelling and thrilling, and it just had a way of whisking Lily away from the little, boring town she called home.

"Lily? Are you awake?" Her dad called, and Lily stood.

"Yes, papa!" She replied, pulling a dress on and glancing at herself in the mirror. Her hair was tangled and messy, her eyes bloodshot, and she was pretty sure there was dried spit on her cheek. With a wry smirk and a shrug, Lily ran downstairs to greet her father, making sure to grab her book.

"There you are, Lily Flower." Her father said as she made it to the living room. Taking in her appearance, Arthur Evans chuckled, "you'll never find a husband looking like that, Lily!"

"That's the plan!" Lily replied cheekily, laughing as she did so. The men of Cokeworth were just annoying to Lily. All they cared about was getting an obedient wife who would bend over backwards for them, and that was decidedly _not_ Lily Evans.

"Your disturbing lack of romantic fantasies aside," her father started, "I think that I've almost completed the machine!"

"The one to chop firewood?" Lily exclaimed, and when he nodded, Lily jumped in excitement and hugged her father, "I knew you could do it, papa!"

"I know you did, my dear. Now, would you mind going into town to pick up some bread. We seem to of run out again." Lily nodded, taking the money from her father and walking out the door.

It would be a good day. Lily was certain.

* * *

Lily walked through the town with her face buried in her book, seemingly oblivious to the whispers around her.

"There's that Evans girl, reading another book…" The innkeeper muttered to his wife.

"Such a pretty girl, it's a shame that she'd waste it." The butcher commented.

"Do you see her hair? It's a bird's nest!" A girl whispered to her two friends.

"I bet she just needs a man in her life. Clean her right up." The boy closest to Lily snickered, and she smirked.

"And you think you'd be able to handle me, John Wright?" Lily called, not looking up from her book. John turned bright red, and everyone in the square gasped. Before John could do something, Lily hurried into the bookstore.

Breathing in the smell of old books, Lily's round face lit up into a giddy smile.

"Hello Mr. Smith!" Lily called, and an old man walked towards her.

"Anything I can do for you today, Miss Evans?" He asked, and Lily gestured to her book, saying, "I'd just like to renew this one, please."

"Haven't you read that one three times?" Mr. Smith asked, laughing heartily.

Lily nodded, and after a moment, added, "I just can't help it, it's so good! The story is just so gripping that I feel like I'm _there!"_

"If you love it so much, you can keep it." Mr. Smith was smiling warmly, and when Lily protested, said, "no no, I won't take no for an answer! Keep it, Miss Evans. You deserve it."

As Lily exited the store, thanking the bookkeeper profusely, she remembered that she was supposed to be buying bread. Hastily making her way to the bakery, the eighteen year old heard her name being called. As she turned, she saw her best friend, Severus Snape.

"Hello Sev." Lily greeted when she got close enough, and he smiled at her.

That was another thing that the town found odd about Lily Evans; she was friends with Severus Snape, the town's outcast.

"I was just buying some bread. Want to come along?" She asked, and Sev nodded in confirmation.

After Lily bought what she needed, spending almost all of their money in the process, she continued to walk along with Severus. They discussed their latest books and theories, and Lily even managed to coax a laugh or two out of him. Before she knew it, the sun was high in the sky.

"I need to get home to papa. I'll see you tomorrow, Sev!" Lily said, already running towards her house. Severus sighed, but waved goodbye.

When Lily made it to her small house, she saw that the light in her father's workshop was on. Depositing the bread in her home, Lily quickly made it outside to the smaller building.

"Papa?" She called, and saw him tinkering with an enormous machine. Arthur Evans stuck his head out and smiled widely at Lily, his face covered in grease. Lily laughed lightly at the sight.

"Well? Does it work?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"We're about to find out." Her father replied, and flipped a switch. The pair watched in nervous anticipation as the contraption started up, and successfully started to chop firewood.

"You did it!" Lily cried, and Arthur hugged his daughter tightly, lifted her off the ground, and exclaimed, "I did, didn't I!"

After Lily was put down, her father put his hands on her shoulders.

"There's a meeting in London for inventors. If I can bring this, then we'll be able to make a lot of money! But I need to leave tonight if I want to make it. You'll need to stay here to look after the house. Can you do that, Lily Flower?"

"Of course I can, papa." Lily replied, rolling her eyes, "I'm eighteen."

"Alright, alright." Arthur Evans laughed, and left to saddle up the horse.

In half an hour, her father was ready to leave.

"Be careful, papa." Lily whispered, hugging him. As she waved, the redhead had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was terribly worried something would happen to her father. It was probably nothing, she decided.

Hopefully.

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 **Tumblr: heroic-hufflepuff**


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